Since 2017 GRC have been proud partners with Mwatana for Human Rights an internationally recognised Yemeni NGO that advocates for human rights and documents violations committed by all parties to the conflict in Yemen. In 2018, Mwatana received the Baldwin Medal of Liberty award and the International Hrant Dink Award; In 2019, Time Magazine listed Radhya Almutawakel (Chairperson of the organisation) among its 100 most influential people in the world; and in 2021 Mwatana and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) were nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
To find out more about the work of Mwatana, what they stand for and how they work, we are pleased to share this video:
GRC have provided ad-hoc advice and support to Mwatana in their advocacy and documentation surrounding humanitarian crisis violations (in addition to more general mentorship and training delivered through GRC’s Basic Investigative Standards Initiative). GRC delivered bespoke training to Mwatana based upon GRC’s Starvation Training Manual in 2020 and 2022 and jointly produced in 2021 a unique investigative report.
The Starvation Makers report, co-authored by Mwatana and GRC, was the culmination of a year-long investigation into attacks and other conduct by all parties to the conflict and building upon six years of brave documentation and investigative work by Mwatana. Mwatana and GRC conclude that members of the Saudi/UAE-led coalition and Ansar Allah used starvation as a method of warfare. Their conduct severely impeded civilians’ access to food and water, and they acted in spite of the widespread knowledge of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, where people, including children, were dying from starvation.
In early 2021, the World Food Programme reported that Yemen was “headed straight toward the biggest famine in modern history,” with “over 400,000 children at risk of dying” and 16.2 million people facing acute food insecurity.
In Yemen, parties to the conflict have routinely deprived civilians of objects that are essential to their survival, starving them, in some cases to death. Yet, to date steps taken at the international and domestic levels have had little impact in holding the perpetrators of international crimes accountable and ensuring reparations for civilian victims. The UN have descried a “pandemic of impunity” in Yemen.
For resources on GRC and Mwatana’s work to end this impunity see:
https://globalrightscompliance.com/
Click here for GRC’s Story in Focus with Mwatana’s Chairperson Radhya Almutawakel
For more information please contact
